Description
TouchBistro is an iPad-based restaurant point-of-sale system enabling owners to manage reservations and take orders instantly.
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OVERVIEW
TouchBistro is a POS provider that earns a fair amount of admiration from a lot of users across the board. TouchBistro adds a proactive element that makes all the difference for restaurant owners. With TouchBistro, the staff has the ability to sift through the line and take orders right then and there, making the counter ahead merely a pick up zone. This is a system that has been implemented at many coffee shops; perhaps you’ve already seen it in action. The vision was born out of Toronto, where founders Alex Barroti and Geordie Konrad created their innovative POS app.
It’s also no surprise to see this type of POS set up catching on, with more and more restaurants adopting tablets and downloadable POS apps.
As an industry, hospitality is making the move away from the prehistoric paper riddled, cumbersome POS systems of yesteryear, and making the leap into the 21st century. In regards to the world of POS, TouchBistro has made huge strides and is ranked as the top-grossing POS Application on Apple’s App Store in over 35 countries. The company has also been showered with accolades and multiple industry awards. TouchBistro was just recently awarded a Stevie in 2016 for Customer Service. The company set out to design a POS specifically for restaurants, cafes, and bars—essentially any business that is menu-focused. The great thing about TouchBistro is that everything runs entirely on mobile iPads, which are synchronized through a local network.
Most notable is how the TouchBistro hardware setup is easy to grasp and cost-effective. The same can be said for the licensing fees, which are also fairly cheap in comparison to the POS systems of the old order. It’s not hard to understand why customers are generally in favor of the sleek and slender iPad display, especially when it is capable of things like split bill features, seating and table assignments, menu selections and ordering, who wouldn’t? The payment itself can even be made right at the table, with receipts having the ability to be sent straight to customer’s email accounts.
PRICING
The TouchBistro Pricing model is pretty straightforward and transparent.
This is what we gathered:
- Solo – $69/month for 1 license.
- Dual – $129/month for 2 licenses.
- Team – $249/month for up to 5 licenses.
- Unlimited – $399/month unlimited licenses.
Each license is equaled to one whole register. All plans come with around the clock customer service as well. Don’t forget about the free updates and analytics that are included with each plan, as well as full tableside and quick service POS features, and unlimited users. If you’d like a taste of TouchBistro without jumping hastily into a commitment, you can book a free demonstration of the system beforehand.
FEATURES
There is a comprehensive list of features within the app on the TouchBistro website. They include descriptions of all the industries in which the software can be applied. We have done the research, and compiled a list of features from the company website and elsewhere that we feel are worth mentioning, and a credit to the company’s attraction and success thus far.
In terms of taking orders:
- Barcode Scanning
- Name table or party group
- Reorder function
- Menu item search
- Designate item quantity
- Delete or void menu items or an entire table
- Menu-only mode for patron viewing
For table management features:
- Design the table layout with the floor plan function. Use templates or start from scratch. Move or edit the floor plan at any time. Combine tables for large parties.
- Manage multiple tables at once, with one iPad. Or manage one table with multiple synchronized iPads.
- Choose a table to seat a party and then name the party and record the number of guests. Each table is color coded according to the section of the server.
- Quickly assign seats to each customer and pair orders with seat assignments.
- Managers can directly assign waiters when opening a table on their behalf. You can also reassign a waiter to a closed bill or check.
- Convert an open table order to a bar tab.
- If you have TouchBistro Pro, you can take advantage of the “Reservations” function, which allows you to associate tables with a reservation.
Taking payments is another set we want to draw your attention to:
- Split payment across any combination of guests. Assign different forms of payment to different guests.
- Process multi-tender payments, you name it—cash, credit
- Email bills and receipts to customers with ease
- Customize the bill and guest checks to your brand or logo
- Add a Tip Guide to the bottom of bills and guest checks.
- Void multiple items at once and print voided items on a separate chit.
- Use the “Fast Bar” feature to quickly complete payments and close orders.
- Gift card capabilities through Mercury Payment Systems.
- Ability to split and close by seat or by a group
- Guest’s checks can now have multiple tax amounts printed on them.
SEAMLESSNESS
The features involved with TouchBistro really makes it a comprehensive experience for restaurants. You really have a plethora of options to choose from with the solution. Your handling of a guest or party is unbelievably extensive, and specific. This removes the headache of things like, scrambling to come up with a way for a party to split a bill, or pay half credit/half cash. Ultimately, all of the options are at your disposal, especially if you opt for a higher pricing model.
CUSTOMER СARE
As we just mentioned, TouchBistro offers a really convenient 24/7 customer service for both Standard and Pro subscribers. You can give them a call at the number they provide, or if you have a really basic question, you can just send an email to the company directly—which evidently yield a good turnaround time. In addition, you can check out their Facebook for some simple inquiries, as well as watch some Youtube videos that give overviews on the many functions of TouchBistro like setting up the wireless network and configuring the menu. The videos actually are rather intuitive and they do a good job of helping out the new users. Also, a comprehensive support section can be found on the website, which features set-up guides, written instructions, and tutorial videos.